What happened to Dominique Dunne? How she was connected to the Menendez brothers trial

4 October 2024, 14:52

By Sam Prance

The shocking murder of Dominick Dunne's daughter led to his involvement in the trial depicted in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

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[CONTENT WARNING: This article contains details about abuse.]

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story briefly touches on the tragic death of Dominick Dunne's child Dominique Dunne. What happened to Dominique Dunne in real life though and how was she linked to the Menendez brothers trial?

As well as focusing on why the Menendez brothers murdered their parents, Netflix's controversial Monsters series also explores how journalist Dominick Dunne played a role in their trial. Just like in the series, Dominick was a famous writer who was heavily involved in writing about Lyle and Erik's case, often influencing public opinion.

In the show, we learn that Dominick's own daughter Dominique Dunne was killed by her ex-boyfriend John Sweeney. The death had long-lasting ramifications that led in part to Dominick's involvement in the Menendez brothers trial.

Read more: Monsters actor Cooper Koch defends shocking Menendez brothers incest storyline
Read more: Was Erik Menendez in jail with OJ Simpson? The true story behind Netflix Monsters scene

Who was Dominique Dunne?

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story trailer

How did Dominique Dunne die?

Dominique Dunne was just 22 years old when her ex-boyfriend, John Sweeney, strangled her to death in 1982. At the time, Dominique was an actress best known for her work in series like Family and Breaking Away and the horror film Poltergeist. Dominique split from John a month before her death because he allegedly abused her repeatedly.

Before her death, there was an incident in which John allegedly pulled out Dominique's hair and she fled to her mother's house. John chased after Dominique but her mother threatened to call the police and he went away. In a separate case, John reportedly strangled Dominique but her neighbour intervened and Dominique broke up with him.

On 30th October 1982, John claims that he visited Dominique to try and reconcile their relationship. However, there was a fight and it ended with John strangling Dominique until she lost consciousness and died. When the police turned up, John confessed to killing Dominique and trying to take his own life.

Where is John Sweeney now?

The year after he killed Dominique, John was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He was released from prison on parole after two and a half years. He was then hired as a head chef in a restaurant in Santa Monica but Dominique's family protested the hiring and John quit, moved to the Pacific Northwest and changed his name to John Maura.

Speaking to Slate in 2007, Dominique's father Dominick said that he'd hired a private investigator to track John down but eventually gave up. He said: "I don’t know where he is. I don’t want to know where he is. It’s much healthier."

Where is Dominick Dunne now?

Two years after Dominique died, Dominick wrote an in depth piece for Vanity Fair about his family's experience trying to get justice for his daughter in court. This led Dominick to specialise in true crime and, in the 1990s, he was one of the most prominent writers covering the Menendez brothers trial, helping bring it to national attention.

Just like in the series, Dominick influenced public opinion with his articles and he was one of the people at the time who had questioned whether Erik and Lyle's claims of parental abuse were true.

As well as the Menendez brothers trial, Dominick played a key role in covering the O.J. Simpson trial and other true crime stories. He passed away in 2009, at the age of 83.